This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing items from a source of supply in response to actuation of a selector mechanism. More particularly, this invention is concerned with vending machine apparatus particularly useful for dispensing folded documents such as maps and the like in response to actuation via a coin-operated apparatus.
In the past, vending machines have been developed for producing prepackaged products such as candy, gum, and other items. Many such devices employ standard sized cells or plunger mechanisms which drop the item into a bin accessible to the front of the machine. Although useful for prepackaged items of various sorts, such vending machines are not well suited for supplying folded documents such as maps, newspapers and the like. Typical apparatus for newspaper vending permits access to the entire newspaper supply. Although such apparatus can be reasonably employed for low cost items such as newspapers, such a system for more expensive document dispensing such as maps is not acceptable.